hom were concerned only with the personal acquisition of wealth and power. He also maintained a huge palace guard known as the White Army for his own protection. His rule was marked by wasteful expenditures and a lack of development projects. The labor force was growing, but wages were not. Dissatisfaction increased during his time on the throne (Nyrop, 1984, 34-35). King Faisal came to power in 1964 and was the first king of Saudi Arabia to comprehend the enormity of the task of modernization and to accept total responsibility for achieving it. He reorganized the planning mechanisms for the state and increased money spent on investments in development and to stimulate growth. He also initiated a massive educational program and proceeded to introduce Western technology (Nyrop, 1984, pp. 38-40).
The authority of the king is formally limited only by his adherence to the Sharia, or Islamic law. He must also be able to accommodate the senior amirs presiding over the formulation of consensus within the roy
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